Waikato

The Waikato region is an area full of lush green hills, bush and farmland centrally located in the North Island of New Zealand.

The beautiful Waikato River makes its way through the rugged landscape and passes through the Waikato's capital city of Hamilton.

It is the fourth largest region of New Zealand by land area and around 40% of New Zealand's total population live within a 150 mile radius.

Hamilton City is considered the heart of the Waikato and is one of the richest agricultural and pastoral areas in the world. It is a major service centre for the fertile agricultural region of Waikato, which generates 19% of New Zealand's total export earnings.

It is also New Zealand's fourth largest city and is only 90 minutes drive from other large North Island cities such as Auckland, Tauranga and Rotorua.

Hamilton offers a relaxed way of life and a healthy environment with a wide range of recreational activities including world class surfing and swimming beaches, forest parks, lakes, thermal hot pools, horse racing, boating, fishing and caving.

Adding to the recreational mix are the North Island's central snow covered mountain ski areas only three hours drive away. There are many parks and gardens within the city, and with the Waikato River dominating the landscape there is also an abundance of scenic river walks.

The city is also home to a thriving cultural scene, with live music, art, cafes and superb educational facilities all helping to ensure that Hamilton succeeds in offering all the elements of a large city, while maintaining all of the benefits usually associated with smaller cities.

State Business Overview

Hamilton is host to a wonderfully dynamic, innovative and successful business community. The Waikato region has a strong agricultural background and many world renowned businesses have forged themselves as world leaders from this area, such as Anchor, AgResearch at Ruakura, and Gallagher Group.

Hamilton is a progressive city and is the second fastest growing city in New Zealand with on average 80 new residential building permits a month being issued by the Hamilton City Council.

The Hamilton business community is diverse with many businesses providing new and exciting products and services leading us into the new millennium, and existing businesses expanding and providing excellent and unique opportunities.

Over 9,200 New Zealand businesses (of which, over 50 of which are international companies) have chosen Hamilton as a place to do business. Below are just a few of the reasons why:

The University of Waikato and Crown Research Institutes offer valuable business partnership opportunities.
The region is showing steady growth and projections indicate that from 2001 to 2021 Hamilton's population will increase by 22.4 per cent and the population of the Waikato region will increase by 9.8%.
Hamilton's close proximity to two major ports in Auckland and Tauranga.
Excellent infrastructure, including the largest railway junction in New Zealand.
International airport only 13 kilometres from the central city.
Reliable and secure long-term electricity supply infrastructure.
Lower business set-up and operation costs than New Zealand's three largest metropolitan areas.
Excellent standard of living.
Lower housing costs than New Zealand's three largest metropolitan areas.
Superlative health and educational facilities.
Very little traffic congestion.
Stable workforce.

On top of all these benefits, the Waikato region offers a terrific lifestyle for both young and mature professionals alike.

Education

Hamilton and the Waikato Region has a good supply of high quality schooling and educational facilities ranging from kindergartens and primary schools to intermediate schools, secondary schools and tertiary education institutes.

The region's education facilites offer a wide range of courses and learning programmes to ensure students achieve academically, culturally and socially.

Hamilton has around 70 early childhood facilities, and the majority of the region's 31 primary schools and 10 secondary schools are public schools. There are also a number of very highly regarded private schools in the region offering educational and boarding facilities.

Hamilton is home to a number of world class tertiary learning facilities which cater to around 25,000 students, most of which are enrolled in one of the city's two main tertiary institutes, the University of Waikato and Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology).

The University of Waikato was established in 1964 and is one of New Zealand's fastest growing universities. The university offers access to 17 undergraduate degrees and a multitude of postgraduate programmes of study.

WinTec provides education programmes to around 15,000 full-time and part-time students and offers more than 150 programmes and 2,500 courses.

The Waikato Institute of Technology is also a leader in life sciences studies through its healthcare, agricultural and science degrees, as well as its numerous research programmes.

Employment

Key industries:

The primary sector is a key provider of employment in the Waikato, creating jobs for around 15% of the workforce in industries such as agriculture, forestry, farming and mining.

The Waikato region is at the centre of a rich agricultural and pastoral hub and consequently a large proportion of New Zealand's dairy industry is centred in Hamilton, along with strong technological-based research and development facilities.

While the wealth of the Waikato indisputably comes from its primary produce, Hamilton City also places a strong emphasis on the manufacturing and goods producing sectors (namely wood, meat and dairy) which employ approximately 20%t of the region's workforce.

This sector also includes the construction, electricity, gas and water supply industries. Other major employment providers in the region include retail, education, health, road transport and sport and recreation.

Niche industries which are also showing strong signs of growth include aircraft manufacturing and boat manufactuirng, with Hamilton being home to New Zealand's only aircraft-manufacturing operation, as well as having the country's largest concentration of trailer-boat manufacturers.

Vacancies within Hamilton and the Waikato region are generally advertised in the Waikato Times and the New Zealand Herald.

Housing and Home ownership

Approximately 60% of Waikato and Hamilton's residents own their own property, slightly below the national average of around 64%.

Hamilton and Waikato has a diverse range of Real Estate ranging from new sections and residential properties to rural lots and rental properties.

New houses are increasingly orientated towards good indoor/outdoor flows to accommodate the typical New Zealand lifestyle and take advantage of the long summers.

Popular styles and building materials include weatherboard or other timber systems, brick or concrete block, or stucco. Roofing is commonly corrugated iron, long-run steel, concrete or ceramic tiles, while windows have either wood or aluminium frames. Given the largely temperate climate double-glazing is uncommon, and central heating/air conditioning rare.

As with any large city area house prices vary considerably depending on the size of the house, its facilities, and the suburb in which the house is located. According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (as at April 2005) the median house price for the wider Waikato region was NZD$244,000, while in Hamilton City the median house price was NZD$255,000.

Renting

Throughout Hamilton and the Waikato Region there is a complete range of properties for rent, from small self-contained apartments to spacious family homes with large outdoor living areas.

Like house prices, rental prices in Waikato vary greatly from town to town and suburb to suburb. As a general guide however, the New Zealand Ministry of Housing advises that the average rent for a three bedroom property in Hamilton is between NZD$240 - $250 per week. (Rental prices shown are as at Jan 2005).

The Waikato Times newspaper is a good start searching for a place to rent. Real Estate Agents and private landlords list properties for rent in the newspaper, with Wednesday and Saturday editions being the best for Real Estate in general.

Remember though that not all properties are listed in the newspaper so it pays to call in to the offices of the Real Estate Agents and ask for a copy of their listings.

Transport

Hamilton is well served by public transport, with regular bus and train services making travelling throughout the region simple.

Intercity transport is also easy, with the Hamilton lying at a major rail and road nexus in the centre of the North Island and two state highways and the North Island main railway line running right through the heart of the Waikato region.

Hamilton's public transport is very good for getting around the city, and driving throughout the area is made simple by good roads which are largely free of traffic.

Taxi services are available in the city and some of its surrounding local towns, while local bus services are also available for travel between the suburbs within Hamilton itself.

To improve international accessibility to the region the Waikato Regional Airport has been upgraded and now services international travel to Australia as well as daily flights throughout New Zealand.

Population

In 2004 the Waikato region was home to approximately 381,900 people. The region encompasses around 15,500 square miles of land and stretches from Lake Taupo (population of around 21,000) and King Country in the south, up to the Coromandel Peninsula and the boundary with the Auckland Region in the north.

Hamilton has a rapidly growing population and as at 2005 had a population of just over 197,000 people. The nearby towns of Tokoroa, Te Awamutu and Cambridge each have between 10,000 and 15,000 people.

Climate

The Waikato Region has warm, humid summers and mild winters, with the prevailing wind from the west and south-west via the Tasman Sea.

Although no part of the region is more than 50 miles from the sea, extreme hot and cold temperatures can occur in some sheltered and elevated inland areas.

The region has an average rainfall of 1,250mm, however the rain is generally heavier in areas such as the Coromandel Peninsula, Waitomo and the alpine area that makes up the Tongariro National Park.

Winter is generally mild but wet and summertime is typically warm and dry. However Hamilton's weather patterns are changeable and, like Auckland, it is not unusual to experience 'four seasons in one day'.

Hamilton has an annual rainfall of about 1,184mm and summer daytime temperatures can range from 15 to 29 degrees celsius.

During winter the daytime temperatures in Hamilton can range anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees celsius and although Hamilton does not get snow, there is often heavy Waikato River fog on cold winter mornings, or cold and crisp frosts on mornings when the sky is clear.

Geography

To the west of the Waikato region lies the Tasman sea, with the land bordering the coast predominantly rugged hill country. There are three natural harbours on the west coast; Raglan Harbour, Aotea Harbour, and Kawhia Harbour.

The area around Raglan is particularly well known for its volcanic black sand and world class surfing conditions. To the east of this rough hill country sits the broad floodplain of the Waikato River, consisting largely of rich farmland used intensively for livestock and crops.

It is in the broad Waikato plains area that most of the region's population resides. The north of the region (particularly Te Kauwhata) is renowned for its high quality wine production, while to the east the land rises to the Kaimai and Mamaku ranges. It is here that the upper reaches of the Waikato River used to generate hydroelectricity.

Cost of living

The cost of living in Hamilton is average in comparison to other cities across New Zealand. In general, Hamilton's house prices and average weekly rental costs are lower than those in Auckland but higher than in Christchurch in the South Island.